


Nuts of a Feather

by Tzieg



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Fullmetal Alchemist, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-09-27
Updated: 2010-09-27
Packaged: 2017-10-12 06:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/121791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tzieg/pseuds/Tzieg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Canon/Slight AU. Our favorite nuts from Star Ocean 3, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Final Fantasy VII all wind up in the Lunar Phase Retreat mental hospital. There's an expression among crazies: "Two sickies don't make a wellie." That may be true, but what about three?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a concept that's been rolling around in my head for quite some time. This story won't come as quickly as DOGS of War, but I'm putting a fair amount of research into getting this as accurate as I can.
> 
> This story is heavily based on my sister's time at a mental institution. It is not her story told through these characters, her problems are very different from the ones portrayed here. I have, however, used her experiences as a reference point to set the scene properly.
> 
> Note: No matter what jokes and comments may be made, this story is in no way making light of mental illness. However; laughter really is the best medicine, and often times you just need to take things a little less seriously to be able to move on.
> 
> Two of the fandoms I'm pulling from I don't consider to be AU, simply because they take place after the canon story line has ended. One is quite AU, and a few others are vague enough to be at the reader's discretion.

“Albel, you have to eat.”

“I am fine. Unlike all of you, I have no need to gorge myself on a regular basis.”

Fayt ignored the snide comment, long since used to it. “You never eat, though! I never see you eating anything, and I don’t even remember the last time you ate a meal with us, Albel.”

“Are you watching my every move now, Fayt?” he sneered. 

“No, but this isn’t exactly a huge ship. Besides, look at yourself, you’re nothing but skin and bones! I can practically use your ribcage as a xylophone!” 

Albel had no clue what a ‘zylofone’ was, but he wasn’t about to ask. “Just leave me be, fool! The day I need your help is the day I roll over and die,” he said, turning on his heel and storming out of the small common area on the ship and retreating to his room. 

Two years had passed since Luther’s defeat. The seven heroes had initially gone their separate ways, but after realizing that they no longer held a place in the worlds they once knew, they again found themselves bound together by fate. Or maybe it was Fayt… The blue haired boy had grown and matured into a blue haired… young man. He had been determined to bring their group back together again. Cliff and Mirage had readily agreed to allowing the youth to rejoin them, Maria had returned to them as well. Sophia had been excited at the thought of adventuring again, and was happy to be spending more time with her childhood friend. Peppita had been doing well on her own in the show biz, but had easily agreed to reclaim a life of exploration. Nel needed to be convinced a bit to leave her home, but soon gave in at the prospect of no longer needing to hide what she knew. Fayt had figured that Albel would be the least interested in joining them, but he had surprisingly jumped at the chance, all but running onto the ship. Quark was reformed, no longer an anti-federation group since the federation had all but dissolved once the Eternal Sphere had been assimilated into the real universe, instead they traveled as mercenaries, lending their aid to any who needed it. 

Things had been going well for the first several months. The group falling easily into their old patterns. Gradually, things began to grow tense as Albel once again started to distance himself from the others. And on a ship the size of a blue whale, that wasn’t always easy. Fayt was (unsurprisingly) the first to notice Albel losing weight. That was when he first noticed that the tall swordsman had also stopped coming to the galley for dinner. Fayt had tried to ask him about it, but had been assured that Albel was eating… just not with the rest of the maggots. Albel’s demeanor had once offended and even frightened Fayt and the other members of the group, but over time they began to realize that there was no malice behind the words, and simply accepted it as part of Albel’s eccentric nature. Cliff, in his ever tactful manner, had deemed the younger man ‘screwed in the head’ and left it at that. 

Fayt sat alone at the table in the galley. It was late. Even without having days and nights to base your life around, one still had to structure his days in order to not be suffering from chronic jet lag. He sat, drinking a steaming mug of hot chocolate and reminiscing to himself about the times in his childhood that he’d had the rich drink. Life was so much simpler then… though he supposed it really wasn’t. Their lives had been a mere façade, their very existence a fake. He sighed, watching his breath send puffs of steam up out of the mug. Fayt frowned. At eighteen, he had been thrust into a universe of turmoil and had been forced to become the group’s impromptu leader. He was clueless then, just reacting to events and trying to survive. Now, he found himself at the helm once more, and he was more clueless than ever. Albel… Fayt was worried about him. It figures. He finally starts getting a grasp on how to be a good leader, and now one of his men is growing ill and he doesn’t know how to fix it. When did he become so possessive of them? He supposed they were all still free to do what they wanted, but Fayt couldn’t help but feel at least a little residual guilt for dragging so many innocent people into the mess. Nel hadn’t been very surprised at all when Fayt had brought up Albel’s deteriorating condition, but if she had some insight on the matter, she was keeping it to herself. He guessed that something must have happened during their time apart. Near the end of their adventure, Albel had grown considerably calmer, and even seemed to enjoy the others’ company from time to time. 

Fayt looked up as the object of his concern walked into the ship’s galley. “Hey! You hungry? Or maybe want some hot chocolate? It’s really good,” he said brightly, gesturing to his own mug of steaming, chocolaty goodness. It was in vain, though, as Albel merely turned, giving him a half-hearted glare from beneath his long bangs. His eyes were sunken and tired looking, and he had grown even more impossibly thin. To be honest, now that Fayt had a chance to look at him, he probably shouldn’t even still be alive, let alone up and walking around. 

The tall skirted man headed straight for one of the cabinets, opening it and pulling out a cup. He then went to the sink filling said cup and taking a drink from it, eyeing Fayt warily the whole time. The blue haired boy did his best to focus on the mug of cocoa in front of him and pretend not to see the shaky way the older man moved and the slight tremble in his hands. Fayt sighed nervously. He was about to try to breach a subject that he knew would send the proverbial shit into the fan. 

“Hey, Albel,” he started nervously finally looking up. When he did, though, he froze. 

Albel stood next to the sink, his eyes wide, a hand clasped over his mouth. Fayt watched in horror as he made a slight gagging noise and the water had just been drinking dribbled out from between his fingers. He wobbled unsteadily, slowly falling to his knees, bracing himself on his claw. His eyes squeezed shut tightly as his body convulsed again, sending more liquid trickling from between his fingers. This time, it was red. 

Fayt snapped out of his shock, rushing over to help the man. He knelt next to him, placing a hand on his back. He could feel the muscles shivering as his undernourished body convulsed over and over, bringing up bile and blood to pour from between the fingers that were still clamped over his lips. The last of Albel’s strength gave way, and he would have fallen flat on his face, had Fayt not caught him, rolling the taller man the lay against his thighs. He wrapped his left arm around the older man’s torso to hold his now negligible weight as he reached for his communicator with his right. 

“Cliff! I need a medic in the galley. NOW!” he shouted frantically, dropping the communicator and using his fingertips to brush the hair from Albel’s face. His crimson eyes were rolled back, the lower half of his face was covered in blood, and Fayt couldn’t be sure he was even still alive. He rocked back and forth, pleading with the older man to not give up, to just keep breathing, to just anything but die. Moments later, footsteps could be heard, rushing down the hallways to the galley. Cliff reached the door first, throwing it open and hurrying over to Fayt, kneeling down to face him on the other side if the prone man. 

To say that Cliff was shocked didn’t quite cover it, but it was a start. “What happened?” he asked, moving over for the medic to kneel down to check Albel’s vitals. 

“I don’t really know, he was just drinking some water… I was about to ask him something so I looked up and he was just… frozen. He looked like he’d been hit with a paralyze spell, but he had his hand over his mouth and then he just started gagging. At first just the water came up, then he fell to his knees and he started bringing up blood. He passed out and I caught him…” Fayt recounted to the others, who were now all gathering in the doorway. 

It didn’t really answer anyone’s questions, but it would have to do. They all moved out of the way when the medic asked Cliff to carry the unconscious man to the sick bay, following behind as though their presence might somehow keep him alive. 

= = =

“He’s alive, and awake, but they don’t know for how long.” Cliff announced to the other members of the team. They had all gathered in the common room of the ship, awaiting the prognosis for Albel’s condition. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Peppita asked, blunt as ever.

“Well there’s nothing physical that’s causing it, but he’s starving himself to death. He’s got all kinds of ulcers and the doctors can’t even figure out how he’s still alive right now.” Cliff crossed his arms over his chest. “Even if they do manage to patch him up, they can’t make him eat. I hate to say it, but this could be a hopeless cause…” 

“He just needs help!” Fayt cut in. “Albel wouldn’t just give up on life like that. He may be crazy, but he’s not suicidal.” Cliff raised an eyebrow at this but didn’t try to argue with the stubborn boy. Fayt reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a brochure, throwing it down onto the coffee table so everyone could see it. “I found this a while back, when I first noticed Albel was acting strangely. I’ve been holding off bringing it up, but I could tell it was getting worse. I was going to talk to him about it last night… but I think the time for talking is over,” Fayt concluded with sigh of defeat. “Albel needs help that we can’t give. But they can.” He nodded to the tri-fold piece of paper. 

Sophia reached out and picked it up, reading the words on the front. “Lunar Phase Retreat?”

“Private psychiatric services… Specializing in crisis stabilization… Offering long term care…” Maria continued, reading over her shoulder.

Cliff leaned in. “A psych ward? You want to have him committed? Oh man, he’s gonna kill you…” 

“Maybe. But if we don’t do something, he’s going to kill himself.”


	2. Chapter 2

Albel recovered slowly over the next several days, drifting in and out of consciousness, though never truly waking up. Physical enhancers were enough to take care of the more serious ulcers that had eaten through the lining of his stomach, but there was no instant cure for the muscular atrophy or the malnutrition that had caused it. He was currently hooked to an IV drip, the life-sustaining liquid slowly bringing him back to health. 

Fayt had contacted the mental hospital the day after Albel’s collapse. They had assured him that they would be more than able to take care of the sick man, having dealt with many similar cases in the past, and the team had set a course to the establishment immediately. At their current rate of travel, they were set to reach the facility in another couple of days. Fayt was caught between hoping the man would wake up before then so he could be informed of the situation and hoping he would stay unconscious until he was safely restrained. Fayt bit his lip. Either way, Albel wasn’t going to be happy when he finally came to. One of the rules for being committed to the hospital was that he was not allowed to have any weapons, or anything that could be used as such. There was no way around it. Albel’s clawed mechanical arm had been removed. Fayt knew that it would be a heavy blow to the already fragile man’s pride to be so defenseless, but there was no choice. Fayt’s stomach fluttered as he watched the stars move by outside the glass viewing window. He was putting a lot of faith into these doctors. 

And he was scared shitless. 

= = =

They had expected shouting, curses, threats. All of that they could handle, they had been through it all before. What they faced now though, was far more terrifying. 

Albel lay motionless in the small bed, his arms hanging limply at his sides. No. His  _arm._  His eyes were absolutely blank, devoid of their usual spark of challenge. Albel Nox was the image of utter defeat. Even Cliff found it heartbreaking--in his own Cliff way. 

Fayt tried again to reassure the silent swordsman. “Albel… It’s not permanent. We just… we want to see you get better. I know you probably don’t believe me, but… we care. About you.”

The swordsman remained silent, his head falling forward slightly causing his hair to fall over his face, obscuring his eyes from the others in the room. While his body showed no signs of life, his mind was roiling with self-loathing. He had become the one thing he had vowed never to be. A burden. A failure. Weak. The others could no longer tolerate his inadequacy, and he would accept his fate and fade into obscurity. 

“Albel…” Peppita began, moving to stand beside the bed. “Please don’t give up. The doctors can help you, you just have to let them,” she pleaded. “We’ll be back to see you in a few months, I promise. You’re so strong, Albel, I know you are. You can beat this, just like everything else.” She leaned forward as she spoke, her hands clenched into fists and tears in her eyes. 

If the words reached Albel, he showed no sign of it. The man remained silent and unmoving for the remainder of the journey.

= = =

“So, what's the verdict, doc? He crazy or what?” 

“Cliff!” Fayt hissed, elbowing the larger man and giving the psychologist an apologetic look. 

“It is quite alright, young man. I am well aware of the Klausian mentality.” Cliff looked as though he might be offended, but the doctor continued. “The planet Klaus is comprised of primarily somatic beings. People who put most of their focus on the body, leaving the mind in the background, shrouded in mystery. I can imagine this situation must be terribly confusing and uncomfortable for you.” 

Indeed, Cliff did look uncomfortable but he could not deny the truth in the psychologist's words and he gave a small nod before stepping back and falling silent. 

“As for your companion's condition, it is too soon to be able to accurately diagnose the core problem, since he is so disinclined to speak. However, he does seem to be relatively stable at the moment so no medications will be prescribed, outside of a vitamin regiment that will be administered by injection until his stomach has recovered enough to handle food and pills.”

Peppita was the first to ask the questions on each of their minds. “So, how does this work? Will someone be watching him all the time? He won't be locked up or anything, will he? How will you make him eat? Will he ever get better enough to leave?”

The doctor smiled softly at the young girl's enthusiasm and concern. “The patients here have freedom to move about as they please, so long as they do not attempt to leave the facility-which would impossible, since we are a free-floating space station. Our program is unique in that the patients are encouraged to rely on each other for support and look after one another. So yes, he will be monitored at all times, but not necessarily by a member of the staff. 

“Usually the patients are roomed in pairs, which ensures that no one is unattended during the night. Unfortunately, we have an odd number of patients right now, so he will be without a roommate until someone new comes in. Not to worry, though. Patients are not allowed to spend too much time in their room. Should he be disinclined to leave his room during the day, he will be locked out of it. Daily activities will be provided and much of his day will be structured around group therapy sessions and discussions. Since he is so uncomfortable with these sorts of situations, he will be granted a grace period of a few days to slowly ease into the routine. 

“As for his eating habits, we will not force him to eat. To do so would most likely cause more harm than good. During his time here, we will do our best to find the root of the problem. The eating disorder is merely a symptom of a much larger issue, so by helping Albel work through his problems the rest should fall into place. In the mean time, a vitamin regiment will keep him stabilized and sustained. 

“Your last question is, of course, the trickiest. I cannot say for certain whether or not Albel will ever recover to the point of being able to live on his own. That is one aspect of the treatment that fully relies on Albel himself. Only he can determine just how far he will progress. Our hope, of course, is that he will be rehabilitated in three to six months. If he has not recovered by that time, we may have to consider the possibility that he will never recover.” 

= = =

Albel sat in one of the common rooms, huddled into a chair, pointedly ignoring the rest of the people in the room. The past couple of days he'd been able to spend in the quiet solace of his own room, the peace only broken for his daily injections. It was actually quite nice, the clean, simple design of the room comfortable without being barren. This morning, however, they had forced him out of the room and locked it behind him. He had settled into this chair and had remained stubbornly unmoving since. 

Albel's first thought upon arrival had immediately been of escape, but he quickly tossed the idea out. Stubborn and arrogant though he may be, Albel Nox was no fool. Even if he did manage to somehow get past the security measures in place and commandeer a vessel to escape in, he still had one very large problem. He had nowhere to go. 

He self-consciously pulled a thin blanket around himself more tightly. Despite outward appearances, he did still have some dignity left, and he was clinging to it with everything he had. At least they had allowed him to keep his clothing and the thick collar he wore to protect his throat. The doctor had told him that it would not normally be allowed, but since he was so dependent upon it-and since they had already taken his claw-they would make an exception. He wasn't dependent on it! He just didn't like feeling vulnerable... leaving one's throat exposed is just asking for trouble. He sighed, torn between aching for a fight and wanting nothing more than to fade into the shadows and disappear. 

A body filled his view as an orderly plopped down in a chair in front of him. Albel didn't recognize him as one of the staff he'd been introduced to. He hadn't bothered to listen to or remember names, but faces tended to be difficult to forget so quickly. This one was either new or simply hadn't been around for a while. Judging from the clueless, arrogant look on his face, Albel suspected it was the former. The usually graceful and proud warrior hunched in on himself further, glaring as forcefully as he could without injuring the fool who was trying to invade his space. And was that... pudding? Oh dear gods... the man meant to feed him. Albel had been well known for mocking Apris on a regular basis, but he now found himself silently willing the goddess to save him. And now the fool was speaking. Fantastic. 

“Okie dokie! I hear you've got a problem with eating, but not to worry, I'll help you out!” 

Albel's blatant sneer went unnoticed as the man peeled off the lid and set it aside. The smell wafted out of the tiny plastic container and Albel grimaced. Chocolate. Blech. “No,” he growled. 

The orderly actually had the audacity to look surprised at Albel's refusal. “What do you mean, no? You have to eat.”

“No, I don't. Leave me alone. I don't need food and I don't need help, just go away.” At the frustrated look on the fool's face, Albel internally smirked. Maybe this could be interesting after all. 

“Now listen here, I'm telling you that you need to eat, so you're going to eat!”

“I don't like chocolate.” 

The man gaped. “What? How can you not like chocolate? Everyone likes chocolate!”

“Well, I don't. I suppose that makes me no one then. So leave me alone, fool.” 

“Why, you-” The man made to stand, but a slim hand landed hard on his shoulder, pushing him forcefully back down into the chair. 

“He said he doesn't want it. If you're looking for a power-trip, you won't find one here, Useless. In fact,” the newcomer leaned down to bring his lips near the other man's ear. He appeared to be whispering conspiratorially to the orderly, but Albel could see the man grimace as the hand on his shoulder clamped down painfully, threatening to crush the bones there. “I don't see why you shouldn't just leave altogether.” The words were silky smooth, but carried a dark undertone that even the fool orderly couldn't miss. He narrowed his eyes, but Albel's “rescuer” continued. “Go back to your family, Useless, before you lose the chance.” 

Albel was unable to hear what was whispered after that, but the orderly's eyes suddenly widened in panic and, as soon as the slim hand released his shoulder, he quickly scurried out of the room. 

Albel studied the newcomer as he settled comfortably in the chair that the orderly had just vacated. He was slender, his pale, flawless skin stretched taut over muscle and bone. He picked up the forgotten pudding cup, tossing it carelessly into a distant trash can. Albel then noticed the item the man had been holding. It was yellow, long and curved. As Albel looked up from the item to the newcomer's face, he was surprised to see a delicate smile above which two amethyst eyes glimmered from behind a curtain of emerald hair. 

“I take it from the look on your face you don't know what this is...” He held up the yellow object, wiggling it slightly. Albel didn't reply, but the man continued regardless, grasping one end of the item and snapping it before pulling back and peeling a strip of thick, yellow skin away. “It's a banana. A fruit. A tropical fruit, mild in flavor, full of potassium, vitamins, blah blah blah...” He chuckled as Albel's glare returned. “No, I'm not going to force-feed you. But here's the deal.” He paused for a moment, pulling a plastic spoon out of a pocket that looked far too small to contain one. “For every bite you eat, I will answer one question you ask.”

Albel's glare faded and he arched a brow in his skepticism, eying the now-naked fruit. “And what makes you think I'd be interested in anything you have to say?”

The green haired man simply smiled, his violet eyes twinkling brightly as he sliced off the tip of the banana with the spoon, holding the spoonful out toward Albel. 

The swordsman narrowed crimson eyes at the proffered fruit, glancing up to the stranger's face. He studied the delicate features for a moment, amethyst cat's eyes meeting his gaze with cool patience. He sat for several minutes, looking back and forth between the steady hand holding out the food and the calm eyes that refused to waver. Seeing that the stranger seemed to be perfectly capable and content with remaining in that pose for the rest of the afternoon, Albel took one final self-conscious glance around the rest of the room before allowing his curiosity to finally win out. He leaned forward, snagging the soft bit of fruit between his teeth and pulling it into his mouth. 

He chewed thoughtfully, the flavor soft and sweet as expected, but he found the texture to be quite unusual. Soft yet starchy, somewhere between dry and gooshy. He made a face. Albel heard a quiet giggle and looked up to find his companion hiding a bright grin behind his hand, though he didn't bother to conceal the unbridled glee in his eyes. 

“Alright, perhaps the banana isn't for you, but until your stomach is more adjusted to real food, I'm afraid this is the best I can do.”

Albel turned away, shrugging a shoulder. He felt his face growing hot and he dropped his chin, hiding behind his long hair. If the stranger noticed the action though, he was merciful enough not to mention it. 

“Now to answer your question: Nothing. I had absolutely no reason to believe that you gave two shits about what I have to say. But if I hadn't offered, the answer would have been no for certain,” he answered sagely. 

Albel took a moment to digest the information, finally deeming him worth studying in earnest. His eyes roved over the man's slim frame, at last taking in his overall appearance. He was dressed comfortably, his black, sleeveless shirt cropped just below his ribcage to expose an expanse of well-toned stomach, a pair of black, stretchy pants riding low on thin hips, and his feet bare. All-in-all he looked more like a teenager ready for a stroll on the beach than a mental patient trapped in a psych ward. “What's your name?” The words were out before Albel realized he was speaking, but, seeing the way the slim man's face lit up, he just couldn't be bothered to berate himself for it. 

Albel barely hesitated in taking the bit of banana this time; the starchy, gooey texture easier to take now that he was expecting it. 

“Envy!” A voice called from the other side of the room. 

The stranger-who Albel now figured was called Envy-looked over, smiling as a familiar orderly crossed the room. 

“Hey Jeremy! What's up?” 

“What's up? Envy, I just had  _another_  new guy quit. I mean, he just up and left... Now tell me, please, you didn't happen to have anything to do with it, did you?”

“You know I did.”

“Aw, come on, man. You're killin' me.” The dark-skinned orderly sat heavily on the low table next to Envy's chair. “We're short-staffed as it is. I haven't had a vacation in  _three years_. Can ya just cool it for a little while?”

“Stop hiring assholes and I'll consider it, Jer.” 

Jeremy put his face in his hands with a groan. “I want to retire some day, Envy, not get worked to death.” 

Envy laughed, patting the orderly on the shoulder. “Oh come on. There's an entire universe of potential employees out there. Don't tell me you can't find at least a few decent ones...”

“Yea, yea, I'll see what I can do. Well, I've gotta run. Have to go keep an eye on the arts and crafts room until the next shift gets here.” He gave Envy a halfhearted glare as he stood, his expression lightening as he remembered something. “Oh, hey, you're still covering that group session at three, right?” Envy nodded and he continued. “Alright, it's in like fifteen minutes, so don't be late, okay?”

“I won't be.” He gave a small wave as the orderly hurried out of the room, turning to give Albel a small, apologetic grin. “In case you didn't catch that, I'm Envy. Oh, and that group discussion he mentioned at three? I'm hosting that. If you want to come, I won't make you talk just yet.” He tilted his head, giving Albel a cajoling look and chuckling at the thunderstruck expression on his face. “Ah, anyway, where were we? Oh, right. Well, since Jeremy interrupted your last question, I guess I can give you a freebie... So ask away.” 

Albel frowned, confused by the interaction between Envy and the orderly. “What are you here for?”

Envy's smile faded a bit as he leaned forward to rest an elbow on his knee. “Well, the long answer would cost you a hell of a lot more than a banana. Short answer is: I tried to kill myself... it didn't work out so good.”

Albel's confusion doubled. Envy didn't act suicidal, he shouldn't still be here, should he? “Why are you still here?”

Envy's smile returned as Albel took another bite, though it was tinged with sadness. “That I don't really have much of an answer for, I'm afraid... I suppose the best one I can give you is that I don't have anywhere to go. I've been here for so long, I wouldn't even know where to start.”

“How long have you been here?”

Another bite. “Hmm... haven't thought about that in a while. I was one of the first patients when the place opened so... around two hundred years, maybe? If it really bugs you, I can ask someone to check my file.”

Albel's eyebrows shot up as he looked over the seemingly young man's form again. “How old were you when you arrived?”

Envy sliced another bite from the banana with his spoon, holding it up for Albel to take. “Hoo... let's see, math skills...” He looked up, muttering a few numbers under his breath that Albel guessed were dates. “Four hundred and thirty-six? Thirty-seven? Somewhere around there...” 

“What are you?” Albel asked curiously, nearly pouncing on the spoon once it was held up. 

“Heh, that's another one of those 'long answer, short answer' ones. For now, suffice it to say I'm a homunculus.”

Albel stopped mid-chew, staring openly at Envy and not even bothering to hide his surprise.

“Yea, I know. Maybe some time I can tell you the whole story over lunch, hm?”

Albel nodded numbly as he finished chewing and swallowed. Seeing that only one bite of banana remained, Albel wracked his brain to come up with a worthwhile question. He finally settled on the one that had been plaguing his mind for years. “Am I crazy?”

“Crazy? By whose definition?” Once Albel had taken the last bite, Envy tossed the empty banana skin into the same can that the pudding had gone into and settled more comfortably in the chair. “I think a lot of shit's pretty crazy... Rich people getting fatter and fatter while kids starve in the streets? That's crazy. Rude assholes nagging people into getting their way while good, polite people have to make do with the leftovers? Crazy. But you? And the rest of the people in here? No. 

“Everyone here is different, but we all have one thing in common. We need help. But, contrary to popular belief, it's not as simple as crazy or not. It boils down to two basic types of people. Take Kuja, for example.” He inclined his head toward a man across the room who sat sulking at an empty chessboard. “He can't figure out why he's even here. He's a danger to himself and others, but he just can't see it. He is no different from someone who's born with a physical disability. Because of what he is, he will never be able to see the world around him in an acceptable manner, and will never be able to make appropriate choices on his own. Unfortunately, he'll probably be here forever.” Envy met Albel's gaze, making sure the swordsman was still following before continuing.

“Others, like Haine over there,” he pointed to a small, white haired boy huddled into a chair watching the TV, “come in on their own. They know they have a problem and want help. Haine's a sweet kid, but his traumatic past has left him with scars in his mind no different than the ones you've collected in battle. Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they aren't as real as the ones in your flesh. But he wants help, and he's trying to learn how to cope. With any luck, he'll be out of here in a few months.

“Keep in mind, those are the two ends of the spectrum. Every mind in the universe is just as individual as its body. Most even more so. So now I have a question for you. I don't expect an answer; I don't really want one right now. All I want is for you to think about this. You're missing an arm and you've still managed to become one hell of a swordsman. So my question is: are you strong enough to overcome your mental handicap as well?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking into Albel's eyes with a soft, open gaze. “Which end of the spectrum are you going to be on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty self-explanatory here. Albel meets Envy. Envy knows stuff. Couple of cameos here and there. I made Jeremy up. He's not really important. Life goes on. :P
> 
> One note: It kinda bugs me that they would give Albel a cool eyeball ability and then not do anything with it in the game. So, for those for you who may not know about it, Albel (all the Noxes, really, but Albel's the only one left) as well as the queen of Aquaria (I believe they are the only two left, but don't quote me on that) have rare, red eyes that have the ability to hypnotize anyone that looks into them. I remember reading a while ago that it was passed down through generations as a "native Elicoorian" trait. It is genetic, but I'm not sure about the native bit. It's not important in this case.
> 
> I'm not really surprised Albel doesn't make use of them in the game since he'd probably consider it cheating in a fight, but I just wanted to mention it since it will come into play later in this fic. It's also mentioned in this chapter when Albel's glaring at the stupid orderly. If he wanted to (or wasn't careful) he could hypnotize his victim and torture him with psychosomatic injuries, possibly to the point of death. So... yea. :3


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